Air travel while kilted

**tpa** · 29th July 18, 04:09 PM

I'm off to Scotland for a few days next week and will only have kilts with me (1+ a back up). I'm expecting to meet up for a reunion with friends from school days, most of whom I haven't seen in 50+ years. I doubt they will recognise me or I them. Do I expect to see any other kilts? No, especially on the boat trip on the Forth the following day! Will anyone comment on my kilt? Who cares? I wear them for comfort not attention.

**OC Richard** · 31st July 18, 04:38 AM

Originally Posted by Jock Scot

I really do question the wisdom of bringing three kilts.

I know I'm an outlier here, but I myself wouldn't bring one kilt.

Unless there was a specific reason to appear in Highland Dress, like RichRail's attending a Highland Games.

I've been to Britain a number of times since my first trip in the 1980s and I only took Highland Dress once: when I travelled with a Pipe Band to perform at several events in Scotland.

My main reason is that it takes up so much room. I travel very light and I don't check bags. Yes the obvious solution is to wear it on the plane! Which does follow my general rule of wearing the bulkiest items (my size 14 shoes, and my jacket).

**008kilts** · 3rd August 18, 01:00 PM

I only packed on kilt for my three week trip to London, Scotland and Austria. I wore it to the pubs, museums,hiking and to the Opera in Vienna. I also wore on the flight home. No problems with TSA or Customs. In fact in London on the return trip the young woman officer complemented me on my “nice kilt”.

Cheers and safe travels!
008kilts

**zenhas** · 10th August 18, 07:45 AM

I just returned from kilted holiday in Scotland. We hiked Rob Roy Way from Pitlochry to Drymen.
Since it was my first experience with kilt and airlines, I looked for information similarly to you. Found nothing or nothing special.
So, first day I wore my kilt, put backpack on my back and went to the airport.

Check-in, security check and other procedures were without any problems. The only thing I had to do was removing belt, take down boots and sporran with a sporran belt for individual scan. But it's usual behaviour on security check. As I travelled from Prague, Czech Republic, my experience could be a little different, we don't have TSA. I didn't have kilt pin on my kilt when travelling to Highlands. I put that in backpack. When arrived to Edinburgh, there were no problems with customs or anything on the airport. On the contrary, the kilt worked as an icebreaker. Clerk was keen and procedure went faster than for other passengers.

All the time, we travelled I wore my kilt. Every day. I had the only kilt with me, so I can't give any advice how to pack multiple kilts the best way.

When we were coming back, I left my kilt pin on the kilt. But, there was nothing bad with that. When I passed through scanning frame on security, clerk formally check over and let me in. We departed from Glasgow Airport.

From my perspective, travelling kilted is without any problem.

**TallmanAZ** · 10th August 18, 12:40 PM

Thank you for sharing your experience!

**cessna152towser** · 10th August 18, 01:15 PM

I often fly kilted in Europe, never had any problems.
First visit to USA in 2009, at LAX, TSA made me go to a private room where two of the TSA guys gave me a thorough check, nearly missed my connecting flight to Santa Barbara despite having a two and a half hour connection. On way home, wore a kilt liner under the kilt, slipped the kilt off and sent it through the inspection belt and walked through the metal detector wearing just the kilt liner, no problem at all.

**tpa** · 10th August 18, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by cessna152towser

I often fly kilted in Europe, never had any problems.
First visit to USA in 2009, at LAX, TSA made me go to a private room where two of the TSA guys gave me a thorough check, nearly missed my connecting flight to Santa Barbara despite having a two and a half hour connection. On way home, wore a kilt liner under the kilt, slipped the kilt off and sent it through the inspection belt and walked through the metal detector wearing just the kilt liner, no problem at all.

Bully for you, Alex, I hadn't thought of that, but not sure I'd have the nerve.

I suppose it depends on how substantial the liner is.

**IomainPlayer** · 16th August 18, 06:15 PM

I have a professional piper friend, who frequently travels in his kilt on airlines to competitions and gigs, as others have stated a kilt and kit, can take up a lot of space and he prefers to just take carry on luggage. The only issues he ever had with security, were the metal kilt buckles and even that was hit and miss. So he decided to make it a non issue, he had the metal buckles replaced by some carbon fiber ones he found. Since then, no issues with his kilt, going through security.

**John_Carrick** · 17th August 18, 12:55 AM

Belfast International Airport was a bit tiresome the other week. A new officer told me proudly the new manager was tightening security but did not explain how. Ended up being frisked twice and scanned twice because I was passed through three officers who did not communicate with each other, and after my things were sitting unattended on the carousel for about five minutes while the goon squad was searching me, a lass asked if she could test my plastic bag of liquids, probably because she had nothing better to do.
Totally chaotic and inefficient security team there. Got through in the end and would choose to do so again rather than go kiltless or paying for a checked bag.